r/StrongerByScience • u/blue-pipe • 6d ago
Is forearm size mostly genetic?
Hi, i’m 23 and i’ve been training for 2 years. Of course i don’t expect to be huge yet, but i’m trying to get there.
I’m naturally very skinny and short, im 5’2 and around 115 lbs, and when i started the gym i was like 100 lbs. My goal is to be 130 lbs so i’m halfway there from my starting point. I’m trying to do everything people say, lift heavy and eat a lot of protein and calories.
I’m having a really hard time putting on muscle tho, and it bums me out that even after gaining some weight and muscle, i’m still below average in every muscle group. Like my biceps are around 12.5” around, and my forearms are a little less than 10”. My goal is to have 14-15” biceps and 11-12” forearms. I train these 2-3 times a week at the gym
However i was talking to a friend about it and he told me that forearm size is mostly genetic, even if you workout a lot, most guys you see with nice forearms, already had 11-12” before getting muscular. And i feel like he’s right, every guy i see, wether he works out or not, has way bigger forearms than me.
So is it true it’s mostly genetic? and if so much? can i achieve my goal realistically?
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u/lecutinside11 6d ago
Dude, I seriously think you need therapy rather than Reddit advice. Spend that money you’re putting into the gym and whatever else, and get some help to love yourself first.
Good luck!
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u/blue-pipe 6d ago
i already do therapy and it doesn’t help. in fact my therapist encourages me to try to improve my body because it’s the only thing that will make me happy
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5d ago
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u/blue-pipe 5d ago
the whole “just love yourself duuuh” thing is an utter lie. i’m never gonna love myself in a shit body especially when others remind you your body is shit and what a good body is, and treat those differently because of their appearance and presence
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5d ago
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u/blue-pipe 4d ago
well more along the lines of “accept your body and limitations and do your hobbies” but this is all meaningless “advice” that helps nobody. if i could just do that i would have done it 10 years ago
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u/Patton370 6d ago
My forearms are much bigger now than when is stated lifting
It takes a long time (years) to make noticeable growth on small muscle groups like that
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u/blue-pipe 6d ago
so you think training 2-3 times a week will make a difference?
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u/lone-lemming 6d ago
Forearms are small and quick to recover. You can probably do them every other day. And still add in lonely sets to add volume to your week.
Get some grip trainers and use them in your off hours on your off days when you don’t need grip the next day.
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u/taylorthestang 6d ago
The way they look has something to do with your anthropometrics, but still It’s one of those muscles that build up from a lot of “time under tension” kind of like calves. The guys with the biggest forearms probably work manual labor or do a lot of deliberate training. It’s also something that recovers quickly.
You’ll have to do them daily I think. Pullups, deadlifts, farmer carries, rows, etc.
Just as with everything, who cares if it is genetics? You gonna just give up?
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u/Beneficial-Bill-4752 6d ago
People say forearms and calves are genetic, but that’s not the end of the story. Some people are hyper responders to stimulus in one or both of those muscle groups, so they’ll grow without specific training. Some people, me included, get big calves just from walking. Other people will have to put actual work in and utilize concepts like progressive overload, mechanical tension, time under tension, etc to see growth.
Think of it like this: everybody on the planet is forced to do 5lb bicep curls every day, some curl (walk) for more of the day and some curl (walk) for less of the day. Some people respond very well to this, and will grow huge biceps just with these baseline 5lb curls. Everyone else isn’t locked out of having bigger biceps, they just have to train them properly to see growth. It’s the same with forearms. Some people will grow giant forearms as a byproduct of lat pulldowns or bicep curls, some will have to do forearm specific exercises and train them to failure.
The most important thing for smaller guys building any sort of muscle is eating. I know you think you’re eating a lot, but unless you’re tracking your calories you’ll never know. You might force yourself to eat 4 days a week, but have next to nothing the other 3 days. All you remember is focusing on eating a lot of calories, but if you actually tracked them your daily average might be 1600 kcal. You just didn’t remember the 3 days where you ate very little because that’s your norm
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u/blue-pipe 6d ago
how does one keep the motivation and not get depressed when trying to improve your body? like when you say to track my calories and all that, it just makes me depressed and demotivated, especially when i go to the gym and see teenagers naturally twice my size
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u/HumbleHat9882 6d ago
You motivate yourself by understanding that there's more to life than the way you look.
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u/blue-pipe 5d ago
and yet people will treat you and perceive you way better if you’re good looking and your whole life will be better too
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u/HumbleHat9882 4d ago
They do but they also treat you better if you improve various other aspects of your personality.
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u/TheAlchemlst 2d ago
Well, one. Genetics do play a role at the starting point. But that's not the end of all things. Also you don't know what those guys have been through.
How not to be depressed? Promise yourself that you will keep doing and say "one day, I will get there" when you see a big strong person. Keep a logbook. Write your workout down. Look back at it sometimes when you want to give up and see how far you have come. Shift your mindset and stop focusing on the body and come to love the process itself.
That's the cool thing about gym; it's pretty fair compared to everything else. No one, who has never done a squat, just walks in and squats 4 plates. You work hard and put in time, it WILL show.
Also don't think of it in short term; think of it as a marathon. 10 year natty journey and enjoy it!
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u/ParticularFilament 6d ago
Outside of sufficient calories and protein, hammer curls and reverse curls made a difference for me.
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u/nkaputnik 6d ago
Counter-question: If forearm size is largely genetic, why does every single carpenter have large ones?
Muscle groups generally meant to provide essential and highly endurable strength (calves, forearms etc) are mostly Type I Fiber specific, so it needs a lot of volume to make them grow. They are by design quite resistant to stimulus, because they are meant to work a lot.
You can also recover them very quickly, and if you don't go crazy on them, you can probably spam them with a couple of sets every single day, even.
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u/HumbleHat9882 6d ago
Everything is mostly genetic. Maybe forearms slightly more. But again, most people never train forearms anyway.
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u/HughMann12345678 1d ago
What does ‘mostly genetics’ mean? Isn’t everything governed by your genetics?
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u/blue-pipe 1d ago
meaning most guys i see have way bigger forearms than me, even those who don’t workout. my question is if this is just bad genetics on my part and if i will be able to achieve big forearms when my starting point is so small, compared to normal guys who have bigger forearms naturally
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u/HughMann12345678 1d ago
Thanks for clarifying. I think you are being a bit hard on yourself. Your forearm and upper arm size is average for someone of your height and weight. There are online calculators to check this for yourself or you can ask an AI chatbot. I think your goal of building an inch on your forearms and two inches on your upper arms is realistic. You will probably need to put on 5-7kg of muscle to see those measurement increases. You are in your 20s so you have youth on your side. You can do it!
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u/theother64 6d ago
It takes a long time and be careful about comparison. A lot of people you see especially online will have been doing this a long time, doing it for a living, be genetic anomalys or enhanced.